Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a wizarding school located in North America.Pottermore reveals that Ilvermorny is the American wizarding school - Pottermore, 29 January 2016 It is one of eleven long-established and prestigious schools approved of by the International Confederation of Wizards.Pottermore - Wizarding Schools History Ilvermorny was founded in the early 17th century, by Isolt Sayre, an Irish witch who had emigrated to America. It was named after her old home in Ireland, which was destroyed by her evil aunt. She originally started the school in order to educate two settler boys she had adopted, Chadwick and Webster Boot. She began teaching them in her small cottage alongside her husband, a No-Maj named James Steward. Isolt modelled the school on Hogwarts, which she had been forbidden to go to growing up, but had always desired to attend. Chadwick and Webster, having grown up on stories of the Hogwarts houses, were eager to establish houses of their own. They therefore created four houses named after each of their favourite magical creatures: Thunderbird (Chadwick), Wampus (Webster), Horned Serpent (Isolt) and Pukwudgie (James). Ilvermorny's reputation quickly grew, and they were soon joined by members of the Native American magical community and other European settlers. Their first new students were two boys from the Wampanoag tribe, and a mother and two daughters from the Narragansett tribe. They agreed to share their own knowledge of magic in exchange for learning wandwork, a skill previously unknown to the Native Americans. Isolt and James provided these students with wands they had made themselves. By 1634, the school had expanded to the extent that they could conduct inter-house competitions, though they still had no boarders and the school was unknown outside of North America. However, news of the school eventually reached England, and they were forced to fend off an attack from Isolt's evil aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt. Gormlaith was a pure-blood supremacist who had murdered Isolt's parents and destroyed her old home, forcing her to flee to America. She was offended that Isolt was willing to educate anyone with magical ability, and was doubly horrified that Isolt had married a Muggle. Fortunately, she was killed by William the Pukwudgie, Isolt's former companion. William moved his family into the school following this incident and has remained there ever since, acting as the school's official private security/maintenance service. Ilvermorny's reputation continued to increase over the years and it eventually became a boarding school, taking in students from across North America. More teachers were hired to meet the demand, and the house was expanded to a castle. By the 19th century, it had gained an international reputation, and by the 1920s, it was considered one of the greatest wizarding schools in the world. The current headteacher of Ilvermorny is Agilbert Fontaine, the direct descendant of one of the twelve original MACUSA Aurors. Student life Houses Ilvermorny has four houses: Horned Serpent, Pukwudgie, Thunderbird and Wampus. Each of these houses are said to represent different aspects of witches and wizards. Horned Serpent is considered to represent the mind, and favours scholars. Pukwudgie is considered to represent the heart, and favours healers. Thunderbird is considered to represent the soul, and favours adventurers. Wampus is considered to represent the body, and favours warriors. Students are sorted by standing on the symbol of the Gordian Knot in the middle of the floor of the entrance hall. If a particular house wants a student, the carving representing that house responds in some way. In the case of the Horned Serpent, the crystal in its forehead lights up, the Wampus roars, the Thunderbird beats its wings and the Pukwudgie raises its arrow. Sometimes, more than one carving reacts, and so the student chooses which house they would prefer to be in. On very rare occasions, usually no more than once a decade, all four houses offer the student in question a place. This happened to future MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery, who chose Horned Serpent. Robes Ilvermorny students wear robes of blue and cranberry, in honour of their founders. Blue was chosen because it was Isolt's favourite colour, having always wanted to be in Ravenclaw, and red to represent James's love of cranberry pie. Their robes are fastened with a gold Gordian knot, in memory of a brooch Isolt found in the ruins of her old home in Ireland. Wands Students receive a wand after they \\\\have been sorted. Until the repeal of Rappaport's Law in 1965, students were forced to leave their wands at school during the holidays, and were only allowed to carry them outside of school after they turned seventeen. Furthermore, they were not allowed wands at all before starting school. School song We stand as one united Against the Puritan We draw inspiration From good witch Morrigan For she was persecuted By common wandless man So she fled from distant Ireland And so our school began Oh, Ilvermorny, Massachusetts We choo-choose it (We choo-choose it) The wizard school supreme Your castle walls, they kept us safe For days with you, a dream You taught us all our magic And now one thing's quite clear Where'er we roam (Where'er we roam) Our one true home Our one and own Is Ilvermorny dear.Ilvermorny school song - deleted scene Castle and grounds Ilvermorny Castle lies at the top of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. The castle is built from granite and is concealed by a number of enchantments, which sometimes appear as a large cloud of mist. The doors to the castle are nestled between marble statues of Isolt and James, and open into a circular entrance hall, which lies beneath a glass domed roof. The room is surrounded by a wooden balcony on the floor above, and is empty except for four wooden carvings representing the houses, which are used in the Sorting Ceremony. The grounds of Ilvermorny are overlooked by an unknown species of snakewood tree, the leaves of which have been found to have medicinal properties. It grew on the spot where Isolt buried her old wand, which had originally belonged to her ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, and which she had discarded after the fight with Gormlaith rendered it useless. It has resisted all attempts at removal. Appearances * (mentioned) * References Category:First appeared on: Pottermore Category:Ilvermorny Category:Schools